A Connecticut man was arrested after police said he ripped up a resident’s lawn and then drove off but left his front bumper and license plate behind.

Police said a resident complained that someone had driven across his lawn causing $4,000 in damages.

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There were tire tracks and skid marks across the lawn for about 100 feet, and police said the vehicle crashed into a 75-foot Norway spruce. The vehicle then left, leaving its front bumper and license plate under the tree.

Police said they traced the plate to a home on Craig Lane where officers found the offending vehicle, a Subaru sports utility vehicle, parked in the driveway without its front bumper along with several branches from a spruce tree.

Brandon Ryan, 21, of Shelton, located near New Haven, was charged with using a motor vehicle without permission, operating without a license and evading responsibility.

He was released on a promise to appear in court.

The homeowner told officers that his grandson, Ryan, had taken the SUV without his permission while he was asleep.

When officers confronted Ryan, police said he told them he had fled the scene after hitting the tree because he is in the process of joining the Marines.